Summer Spotlight – Amy from Mod Podge Rocks!

It’s Friday so what does that mean… Summer Spotlight!! This week was my pick and I picked Amy from Mod Podge Rocks! as my Summer Spotlight Feature.

The Summer Spotlight is a collaborative effort to showcase great ideas from a different talented blogger each Friday throughout the summer months. Follow my co-hosts and I online to see the great ideas we share year-round:

Hi, it’s Courtney with Crafts by Courtney and I’m back with another great blogger friend of mine for the Summer Spotlight. This is a blogger that I’m sure you’re all familiar with. Are you ready… Amy from Mod Podge Rocks!!

I know she’s the best! I just love her and her blog. I have known about her blog for a long time, but recently I started writing for her. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know her a little better. She seriously is the sweetest person to know and so talented. Plus, she’s the best person to write for. I’m so glad to have made a true blogging friend.

Amy has been blogging since 2008 and she has become the face of Mod Podge. When you think of Mod Podge, you think of Amy, am I right?!? But not only does she run Mod Podge Rocks, she has two other sites as well. DIY Candy and Washi Tape Crafts. Plus, she has a washi tape book coming out in September.

Mod Podge Rocks is a premier online destination for original DIY and crafty inspiration. I truly believe that anyone can learn to be creative, and I can show them how to get started. Look for creative project ideas and tutorials, with a little bit of humor and some fun stories in between!

Here are some of Amy’s favorite projects:

Here is one of Amy’s favorite projects. This paint chip wall art it’s so creative and perfect for any craft room. I love the color scheme Amy chose, it would fit perfectly in my home. I might just have to make one!

I bought a rectangular canvas that sat in my apartment corner for quite awhile. I had one idea for it, but that idea didn’t stick . . . so then it just sat there. I actually think it was in the trunk for awhile before it made its way to the corner. And then, as I was making these paint chip bracelets, I realized what I was going to do with it – make a paint chip canvas. It was the perfect size and shape (well, at least for a large faux paint chip).

This floral DIY coat rack is so pretty and guess what it’s made from…wrapping paper. I know, what a great pattern and it’s a sentimental craft too!! She reused the wrapping paper from a gift her boyfriend gave her, now that’s special!!

For Christmas I got some pretty cute clothes from my boyfriend. He did a great job of picking things out for me. So he might have been a little sad when I focused more on the cute wrapping paper.

Here’s another fun piece of wall art from Amy, Refurbished Key Portrait! What a bright and punchy piece for the house! I’m dying over the color of that frame.

I found this sad little piece of key art, broken and golden, at Hobby Lobby. I’m sure it wasn’t supposed to be broken. I’m not really a gold person, so I decided to brighten up this key art with some paint and Mod Podge.

Now this circus themed step stool is the coolest, don’t ya think! I love the touch Amy added with the mustache. I know this is an adult craft, but I would love to do something like this for my boys. I think they would get a kick out of the moustache too!

I know I’m not the only one of you who loves a good moustache craft – they always make me smile, whenever I see them. I’ve been wanting to do a project incorporating one.

Here are some of my favorite projects from Amy:

I had to start with the DIY Woodgrain Lamp it’s simply the coolest! I love how it turned out. Plus, Amy added glitter (and I love using glitter, who doesn’t right??) Always a great touch.

There are a few crafting world trends that I’m not going to get over: deer, mustaches, just to name a few . . . and woodgrain. I know that some of you are with me on this one. So when I came up with designs for the new Mod Podge Rocks stencils, I knew that I had to include a woodgrain pattern.

So this is a project that I would love to attempt myself. The Comic Book on Canvas, it would be a perfect fit for my boys’ rooms. They are all about the superhero’s right now! This is something that I’m adding to my crafting to-do list for sure!

My boyfriend and I recently decided to do something for my loft, so we settled on a comic book craft. And we definitely wanted words on there too.

Of course I had to pick a nautical craft! I love everything about these nautical inspired canvases. They are so cute and easy to make! I’m surprised I haven’t attempted them myself. ;-)

I decided to use four silhouettes: a nautical flag, a ship steering wheel (is that what they are called?), an anchor and a life preserver. All you need to do to find the right clip art is search for “nautical silhouettes” online.

Alright, so that we’ve shared some of Amy’s great Mod Podge project, now we get more personal with a lil’ Q&A!

1. Best part of blogging so far? Least favorite part about blogging?

The best part of blogging has been the ability to create my own destiny by owning my own company. I worked in marketing for years, making money for other people. While there’s nothing wrong with that, I like the fact that the work I do is directly tied to my income now. What I put in is what comes out, for the most part. Plus it’s been interesting to run my own business and essentially be a freelancer. It’s one of those things you can’t speak intelligently about until you’ve done it, so I’m glad to have the opportunity to try it on for size.

My least favorite part is staying on top of all of the little details, like social media. It’s a challenge for me to be organized, and there’s always ONE MORE thing to do. It can get overwhelming and tiring when you know that every day you need to visit and contribute to several different social media platforms. I get exhausted!

2. What’s projects are you working on now or what’s next on your to-do list?

I’m always focusing on Mod Podge Rocks, but right now my boyfriend and I are putting some DIY projects we’ve always wanted to do up on my other blog DIY Candy (http://diycandy.com/). I also have a washi tape book coming out in September that I need to promote when the time comes (hopefully you’ll see it around!). Besides that, my next goal is a vacation!

3. What’s your process when writing a new post? And after you’ve already done the craft?

I do two things when I start a new post. I consult Google Keyword Planner to make sure my SEO is on point – that’s more of the technical side of blogging. Then on the personal side, I think about WHY I did the project and how I’m going to incorporate a personal story into the post, if I can. I love telling short stories about my life and why I do what I do. Sometimes it’s a crazy thought process but I hope people can enjoy that aspect of the blog post.

4. What’s two tips you would give any blogger?

Definitely!

1) Be passionate about what you are writing about and…

2) Have patience and expect to work hard. Making money blogging can take a long time. And writing a blog DEFINITELY takes a lot of time, if you want to post regularly.

Let your passion about the topic guide you and keep you going, because if money is why you do it, you’re not going to see any immediate return and you’ll just get disappointed. Eventually everyone reaches the point where they decide what a blog means to them, whether it be a hobby or full-time career. Find your place along that spectrum, embrace it, and learn to be happy with where you are at.

5. When did you first start writing for Mod Podge and how did your get that opportunity?

I actually asked the company that owns Mod Podge for permission to use their brand name because I was fascinated with Mod Podge and wanted to learn how to use it. What drew me to the product was the retro label. I started writing about Mod Podge in 2008 so that I could document my projects in the same place that I would share other people’s projects – it was essentially my homage to what I thought was a super cool craft supply. I never expected the blog to do anything . . . it was just a hobby!

I want to say a big thank you to Amy for taking the time from her busy schedule to let me interview her. I think we all have taken something away from her Q&A and have gotten to know a little more about her. She’s such an inspiration!

You can follow Amy at Mod Podge Rocks! on social media for more great ideas like this: